Boks set for final tune-up against Georgia
The Springboks have ticked every box this month in their build-up to the Rugby Championship, and Saturday’s clash with Georgia offers one last chance to deepen the squad, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane says July has been a resounding success for the Springboks’ Rugby Championship preparations, a campaign built around squad rotation, performance consistency, and a clear eye on the 2027 World Cup. Saturday’s Test against Georgia, he notes, is about consolidating depth rather than chasing results.
South Africa’s final match of the month, Keohane argues, will serve as another physical battle but little more than a formality on the scoreboard. “Boks by 10 is always my call,” he writes, adding, “In this instance the differential will be closer to 30 than 10.”
Keohane lists Rassie Erasmus’ meticulous player management as a key success of the month. All the squad members have featured, several combinations have been trialled, and new caps earned across multiple positions. Among the highlights, five fullbacks have been used, three different flyhalves have started and four scrumhalves have been rotated – all while veterans like Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit were carefully reintroduced after injury layoffs.
The match against Georgia, their first meeting since a national lockdown in 2021, is expected to be physical, especially at scrum time, but Keohane says the real value lies in minutes banked and cohesion built.
“Erasmus has introduced new players and each new selection would have been capped by Saturday night,” he writes. “Winning is a habit, and it is easier to introduce new players into a winning system.”
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